Pocketless display pen



Feb. 19, 1963 w. SHEA 3,

POCKETLESS DISPLAY PEN Filed March 22, 1961 Q Q I Q Q Q 1 q [l 1* 1:1 /2E 24'*- M INVENTOR Warren Shea ATTO NEY United States Patent 3,077,691POCKETLESS DISPLAY PEN Warren Shea, Jersey City, N.J., assignor toRadiant Pen Corp., Kenilworth, N .J Filed Mar. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 97,6321 Claim. (Cl. 40-334) My invention relates to a ball point pen, and moreparticularly to a pen provided with internal means for displayingprinted or dectorative material.

Display pens are generally employed for carrying an advertising message.In some good constructions, the appearance of the pen can be changed byproviding a new color or decoration.

Hitherto such display material could only be provided by printing ordecorating the outside barrel of the pen, or by completing changing theconstruction of the pen barrel of the pen so as to provide a pocket forthe insertion of the display material. Printing on the pen barrel hasbeen found to be undesireable because of the constant wear on thesurface, which gradually causes illegibility. Where pockets areemployed, expensive molding and assembly charges are involved whichgreatly increase the cost of the pen.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a display pen whichdoes not cost substantially more to make and assemble than theconventional pen.

Other objects are to provide a display pen with a minimum number ofparts, including a conventional pen barrel containing easily changeddisplay material, and to provide a display pen that is adapted to bemanufactured using mass production methods.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as willbe apparent from a consideration of the display pen described in thefollowing specification, particularly pointed out in the claim, andillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of my novel display pen embodying theinvention; and

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinally sectioned view of the assembledpen parts.

The inventtion generally comprises a transparent barrel 10, a tubulardisplay insert 20, a spring 30, a cartridge 40 and a cap 50.

The barrel is provided with a central bore 12 having an inner shoulder14 upon which, in the conventional pen, would rest the spring 30. In thepresent invention however, the tubular display unit 20 is positioned inthe bore with an end 22 resting upon the shoulder. The outside diameterof the insert is slightly less than the inside diameter of the bore topermit easy movement of the insert when positioned inside the barrel orwhen removed therefrom.

The inside diameter of the tubular insert is slightly greater than thediameter of the cartridge, but slightly less than the diameter of thespring. Thus the cartridge moves freely with respect to the tubularinsert when propelled or retracted by the mechanism. The spring 30 restson the remaining end 24 of the tubular insert, encircling the cartridgewhen inserted into the barrel, and compressing the insert to theshoulder 14 of the barrel at all times. Adjacent the open end 42 of thecartridge, a pair of ears 44 are formed for compressing the spring whenthe pen is assembled.

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The cap 50 terminates in a threaded portion 52 which engages thecorresponding threaded shank of the barrel. Within the cap is providedan operating mechanism 54 having a push button 56 for propelling thecartridge through the opening 16 against the action of the spring andfor releasing the cartridge from the protracted position. The operatingmechanism may be of any known construction and is not, per se, thesubject of the present invention.

The display tubular insert 20 contains the printed or decorativematerial 26. The material may take the form of printing in a contrastingcolor on the outside of the insert, or the surface may be decorated orcolored in other ways to permit observation through the transparentbarrel. The display material may be wrapped around the insert. Theinsert itself may be an extruded tube sliced to the proper length foruse in the pen.

The pen is assembled into the form shown in FIG. 2, With the springmounted on top of the insert and underneath ears 44 formed on thecartridge. The insert has a length extending from the shoulder 14 to thethreaded shank of the barrel. This length places the spring within thecap which is made of opaque material to hide the spring from view.

The assembly of the parts requires little more than the assembly of theconventional ball point pen. The spring and insert are positioned overthe ball point end of the cartridge which is inserted into the barrelwith the insert resting on the shoulder 14. The cap is then threaded tothe barrel, compressing the spring and completing the assembly.

The parts may all be made of molded material with the possible exceptionof the ball point and spring.

The construction achieves the following advantages:

(1) The parts are assembled as easily as they are in the conventionalball point pen,

(2) The parts require no change in the mold used for making theconventional pen parts,

(3) The construction is pocketless thus making display changes as easyas possible.

(4) The display material may be changed when desired,

(5) The invention may be incorporated within the conventional barrel andcap at minimum cost, and

(6) The display surface is on the inside of the pen where it isprotected.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that itis not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, thesame being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carriedout in other ways Without departing from the spirit of my invention, andtherefore I claim the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalitiescoming within the scope of the appended claim, and by means of whichobjects of my invention are obtained and new results accomplished.

I claim:

A display ball point pen comprising a hollow barrel having a transparentportion, a cap therefor, a tubular insert for display through thetransparent portion of the barrel; a cartridge having a ball point atone end extending through said insert, said barrel having an openingthrough which the ball point of the cartridge is projected, a shoulderformed wtihin said barrel adjacent said opening, said insert beingseated on said shoulder; and a spring References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Forster Oct. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTSGreat Britain Aug. 12, 1953 France Dec. 22, 1954

